My Sister’s Smile- International Women’s Day Exhibition
Council Bluffs, Iowa, February 3, 2017 – On March 8, 2017, the cities of Herat, Afghanistan and Council Bluffs will launch a unique joint and simultaneous exhibit of women photographers from the two cities in honor of International Women’s Day. In the summer of 2016, Herat, Afghanistan and Council Bluffs, Iowa signed a Sister Cities International partnership agreement. This exhibit is the first of many opportunities that Herat and Council Bluffs will have to share and discover the uniqueness of each city as well as the things we have in common.
In Council Bluffs, there will be a reception open to the public on March 8 beginning at 6:00pm at Iowa Western Community College Arts Center at 2700 College Road Council Bluffs, Iowa.
In conjunction with the opening reception, those attending are invited to view the screening of the documentary Salam Neighbor (www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6SxPSZVD9o). This award-winning feature documentary connects the world to the lives of refugees. In an effort to better understand refugee life, two American filmmakers spent a month living alongside displaced families in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Their experience uncovered overwhelming trauma but also the untapped potential of the uprooted men, women and children living in the camps. Salam Neighbor tells the inspiring stories of people who are trying to overcome personal loss and cultural barriers, and rebuild their own lives as well as the lives of their neighbors.
This event is the result of a partnership between Council Bluffs Sister Cities Association, Herat Sister Cities Committee, New Century Art Guild, and Karadah Project International. These organizations bring together Afghan and American artists, civic and government leaders, military veterans, and humanitarian advocates. “These kinds of citizen diplomacy efforts are as important as the work of our professional diplomats,” said Rick Burns, Council Bluffs Sister Cities board member and founder of Karadah Project International. “If we are to have peace, it will only come through the grassroots efforts of citizen diplomats reaching across national boundaries.”
The Exhibit will also be available for viewing at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) Center for Afghanistan Studies’ Central Asia and South Asia (CASA) celebration week March 13-16, 2017. The photographs can be viewed in the Milo Bail Student Center on the UNO campus. Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States will participate in the CASA celebration. (www.unomaha.edu/international-studies-and-programs/center-for-afghanistan-studies/news/casa-week.php)
In Council Bluffs, there will be a reception open to the public on March 8 beginning at 6:00pm at Iowa Western Community College Arts Center at 2700 College Road Council Bluffs, Iowa.
In conjunction with the opening reception, those attending are invited to view the screening of the documentary Salam Neighbor (www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6SxPSZVD9o). This award-winning feature documentary connects the world to the lives of refugees. In an effort to better understand refugee life, two American filmmakers spent a month living alongside displaced families in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Their experience uncovered overwhelming trauma but also the untapped potential of the uprooted men, women and children living in the camps. Salam Neighbor tells the inspiring stories of people who are trying to overcome personal loss and cultural barriers, and rebuild their own lives as well as the lives of their neighbors.
This event is the result of a partnership between Council Bluffs Sister Cities Association, Herat Sister Cities Committee, New Century Art Guild, and Karadah Project International. These organizations bring together Afghan and American artists, civic and government leaders, military veterans, and humanitarian advocates. “These kinds of citizen diplomacy efforts are as important as the work of our professional diplomats,” said Rick Burns, Council Bluffs Sister Cities board member and founder of Karadah Project International. “If we are to have peace, it will only come through the grassroots efforts of citizen diplomats reaching across national boundaries.”
The Exhibit will also be available for viewing at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) Center for Afghanistan Studies’ Central Asia and South Asia (CASA) celebration week March 13-16, 2017. The photographs can be viewed in the Milo Bail Student Center on the UNO campus. Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States will participate in the CASA celebration. (www.unomaha.edu/international-studies-and-programs/center-for-afghanistan-studies/news/casa-week.php)
